Monday, 31 December 2012

Syphay House Edmonton, Ab Spicy Thai food with yummy Pad Thai

Food 7.75/10Service 7.5/10 Ok, you may have noticed I've been seeking out Asian fare lately... its because of my sinuses. They're making my nose run like mad, and thankfully, though this cold hasn't affected my tastebuds, a nose that alternates between imitating a facet and a stuffy dry pillow is no fun. I know saline rinses will do the trick... heeheehee... but so does spicy fare (and leaves my belly happy), so to Syphay for flavorful spicy food we go!!First things first - I know I want a wee bit more spicy than the usual, but just in case, we all order a round of Iced Thai Tea. It serves two purposes: the first is its delicious with its blend of strong tea, condensed milk and spices (less spices and flavors and stronger tannin-y tea flavor than the blend at Viphalay); and secondly, with the milk its made with, it'll be useful to put out the spicy on our tongues if things turn out to be too tongue scorchingly spicy.

the APPYSWe start off with the Syphay Platter which had 4 Meat Spring Rolls, 5 Pineapple Shrimp Wraps, and 8 Garlic Shrimp Rolls - a little bit of everything so we could try most of the appetizers in one go. We nibbled on spring rolls that had a good balance of meat-vege-rice vermicelli mixture to crisp wrapper (left), and enjoyed the overfried by flavourful deep fried mini shrimp tubes that each had their own whole little shrimp nestled inside (right). The crisp deep fried triangles of soft sweet-tart pineapple was the clear winner (top), and we liberally used the tasty tangy sweet chili sauce provided.

the ENTREESIts Thai food, which means family style sharing... so no hogging your favs! First out was the Tohm Yum Seafood.

Since I love noodles, we asked for noodles to be added (for a nominal extra fee), and there they are, staying firm without getting too soft for the duration of our meal and absorbing up the tasty broth nicely.

Loaded up with a large piece of Basa fillet, a handful of small scallops, a few mussels, squid, med-large shrimp, lots of mushrooms.. all swimming in a fiery red and aromatic broth flavored with lemongrass, galangal, chilies, and plenty of kaffir lime leaves. The broth is a medium spiciness, with the noodles tempering the spicy, its a tasty dish that warms us up to our tippy toes!

Next up was the Gang Keauy Green Curry with choice of chicken, beef, or tofu, we went with chicken. With a handful of sauteed green and red peppers, snow peas, and broccoli rounding out the veges, the spicy spicy curry sauce redolent in coconut milk, some basil and kaffir lime leaves was almost overwhelmed by the chilies.

One of our friends who loves spicy food went to town, while I was a wuss and repeatedly grabbed for my Thai Tea to cool down my burning mouth.

Our last dish was the Pad Thai. It also came with a choice of chicken, beef or tofu, and we voted for chicken (we're so predictable lol!)

Soft noodles are tossed in a sauce with strong notes of tamarind and a hint of chilies, scrambled eggs, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, chives, and loaded up with a mini mountain of crunchy toasted peanuts (can be omitted for those with allergies) and chopped cilantro. Mmmmm!

With just the three of us, we were too full to have dessert, so instead, we digested for a while, then meandered over to Whyte Ave and hit up Gama Store for some Green Cap teas and mini stuffed cakes. With a versatile menu, there's lots of vegetarian and gluten free options available. And yes, after a few tissues, my sinuses were clear... score!! :DSyphay HouseAddress 6010 104 St, Edmonton, AB. T6H 2K3Phone (780) 438-8338Hours Daily from 11:30am-2pm and 5pm-9pmMapView Larger Map